


A Delicate Flame

by ifthenelse



Series: The Xena Scrolls: Fire & Ice [2]
Category: Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:01:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21666349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifthenelse/pseuds/ifthenelse
Summary: After the events of " is there a doctor in the house," Xena takes Gabrielle to a port city for her to heal but finds herself faced with a decision to either send Gabrielle back home to keep her safe or allow her to keep traveling with her.
Relationships: Gabrielle/Xena
Series: The Xena Scrolls: Fire & Ice [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1501745
Comments: 4
Kudos: 52





	A Delicate Flame

**Author's Note:**

> So, this story has been in my mind for a long time. Is there a doctor in the house, shows our favorite gal pals dealing with war and it's causalities but also focuses on exposing what we already knew, and that is Xena's love for Gabrielle.
> 
> This is a more in depth, head-canon look at what took place after the pair left the temple.
> 
> Warnings: Angst, and lots of it, as we know Xena is very good at drowning in her own guilt. There is smut but it is not until the end though there are mentions of sex before that. Sorry if it offends anyone.
> 
> As a side note: There are references to one of my stories in this series called the taking. You don't need to have read it to understand this fic, however, as a spoiler, I will tell you that Gabrielle chooses Xena to take her virginity when she returns to the amazon nation. Now that we are all caught up. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Comments, kudos and messages are always appreciated.

**_but my tongue is frozen in silence;_ **

**_instantly a delicate flame runs beneath my skin;_**

**_with my eyes I see nothing;_**

**_my ears make a whirring noise._**

- _Sappho, 30_  
  


* * *

  
  
Xena was usually against taking money from people she helped, and Hippocrates had been no exception until he insisted that the dinars be used to help Gabrielle get better.

They hadn’t traveled too far on Argo before hearing the young healer calling after them, a pouch full of dinars in his hand.

“Please Xena,” He had begged, “It’s the least we can do for you two. Take Gabrielle to an inn for a few days so she can rest.” 

Once he had put it that way, she felt it was for the best. Gabrielle did need time to heal and a bed was a much more fitting place than the ground for her recovery.

Reluctantly, Xena agreed, and set off for Volos, a port city in Thessaly that was only a few hours away. 

Gabrielle chattered away the entire time, telling Xena about the other side, how beautiful the Elysian fields were, but how happy she was that Xena had brought her back. The warrior was grateful too but felt Gabrielle had chosen to fight for her life. The bard could’ve given up, content with the peace she had found momentarily, seeing her loved ones and being in a world without any violence, instead, she chose to return to the world of the living. She chose to return to Xena.

Gabrielle noticed how distant Xena had become, her responses becoming shorter with every candle mark that passed. She wanted to force Xena to tell her what was bothering her but knew that approach wouldn’t work in her favor. Instead, she fell silent herself, lost in the sounds of Argo’s hooves hitting the ground and of Xena’s steady breathing. Before long, Gabrielle was asleep, her head resting against the leather clad muscular back of her companion.

It was night when they finally reached Volos. The warrior had counted out 500 dinars in the small pouch Hippocrates had given her. She was grateful to him and Galan for the gift and found the best inn the port city could offer. 

Gently, she shook Gabrielle’s thigh to awaken her. After a few tries, the bard finally woke and sleepily asked “are we there yet?”, while rubbing at her eyes.

“Yes.” The warrior replied, taking a deep inhale of the sea scented air. Gabrielle did the same and looked up to find seagulls sailing and cawing above her. She heard the crashing of the waves against rocks and felt the breeze of the ocean cool her body. It was all enough to lull her back to sleep.

“It’s beautiful here Xena.” She said with a smile then blushed when her stomach grumbled impatiently. Xena chuckled and raised an eyebrow. “Yes, we’ll be at the inn soon, from what I hear the food is great there.” 

“Great ‘cause I’m starving.” Replied the bard, still taking in the city’s sights.

They reach the inn within the hour at the edge of the city. It was surrounded by miles of coastline and picturesque views that Gabrielle had been delighted to see.

“We’ll spend a day on the beach once you’ve healed up more.” Xena assured her once they had dismounted argo. Gabrielle smiled slyly, knowing that Xena would relent to her wether she was healing properly or not, though she had the best healer in Greece at her disposal.

-

“You can leave the horse in the stable out back.” The inn keeper had told Xena. “There’s also three public bathhouses in the city, here’s a map to help you find them.” He added as he showed them to their room, taking his leave after handing her the keys. 

The room was the nicest they had stayed in and very spacious. Once they had settled in, the duo headed down to the tavern and Xena ordered whatever the bard wanted, as usual, with a pitcher of ale for her and a goblet of wine for Gabrielle. 

After they had satisfied their hunger, Xena insisted that she change Gabrielle’s bandages and the bard complied willingly. When they were back in the privacy of their room, Xena carefully removed Gabrielle’s clothes and grit her teeth at the sight of the bruises on her companion’s skin. Namely, the discoloration on her chest, where she beat her fists into, out of rage and desperation to make Gabrielle’s heart beat again.

The warrior began to shake visibly, she reached for the small bowl that she had poured wine and boiling water into and soaked a cloth in the mixture. The memories of her screams and the voices of those around her trying to make accept Gabrielle’s death began to play in her mind in a never-ending cycle. It wasn’t until soft fingers curled around wrist that she was pulled out of her sorrow and Gabrielle’s green eyes darkened with concern as they met Xena’s troubled azure depths.

“Xena, the bruises will go away.”

“That’s not the point Gabrielle.” Xena said, wringing out the cloth to gently dab at the bard’s wounds. “I should have never brought you there. We could’ve gone around the city not- “

“Xena you did what you thought was right.” Gabrielle said sensing Xena’s inner turmoil. “And I was ok until I decided to go after that man’s son. You had nothing to do with that.” She added, wincing a bit from the burn of the alcohol. 

“You were asked because you were there, had I taken a different route, none of this would’ve happened.” The warrior dried off the bruises before bandaging them up again.

“Yes Xena, but how many people’s lives were saved because of your decision?”

“That doesn’t matter.” Xena said dismissively as she stepped away from the bard and walked across the room to retrieve her sword.

“Xena, of course it matters!” Gabrielle yelled angrily.

“Not at the cost of your life Gabrielle!” 

The door to the room slammed shut before the bard could reply.

Gabrielle lay back against her pillows with a frustrated huff, her features drawn into a frown as she thought about the words of the warrior princess. How could Xena not see the good she had done? She had saved so many lives and brought an end to a brutal civil war that put an end to the deaths of both civilians and soldiers alike. 

_Not at the cost of your life Gabrielle._

What was Xena trying to say to her? Why was her life worth more than hundreds of others?

-

When Xena returned, she found the bard appearing to be sleep. She knew from experience that Gabrielle had the tendency of knowing when something was truly troubling her and would stay up until Xena allowed Morpheus to claim her. The warrior narrowed her eyes, watched the rise and fall of her young companion’s chest and felt soothed almost at the sight of her soft breathing.

_Breathe Gabrielle!_

_Please! Don’t leave me!_

_Don’t leave me!_

Xena’s eyes closed against the memories assaulting her. Her screams were desperate and, in those moments,, she would’ve given anything to watch Gabrielle just breathe.

The warrior opened her eyes to find Gabrielle unmoved from her position. Her chest still rising and falling with each breath she took in her unconscious state. 

Xena lost track of time watching Gabrielle sleep and resolved that she should at least try to rest. She peeled off her leathers and armbands, and lay in her bed naked, with her back to the bard, deciding she had stared at Gabrielle enough for one day.

As Xena closed her eyes, she heard Gabrielle’s bed shift with her weight as she rose from it. Her light footsteps padded across the stone flooring until she reached the warrior’s bed. 

A few moments passed before Gabrielle climbed into the bed and curled herself against Xena’s back. The warrior turned to face her, and their eyes locked on each other’s. 

“Will you hold me?” Gabrielle asked in a whisper.

Xena immediately conceded, wrapping her strong arms around the bard’s soft body and cradling her tightly. Gabrielle was enveloped in the Xena’s warmth and strength, it seeped into her, calming her own mind. She sighed in satisfaction against Xena’s breasts and fell asleep within moments to the sound of the warrior’s steady heartbeat.

-

The next day, Gabrielle insisted on visiting the market so she could do some haggling, which Xena watched in amusement. The bard almost convinced every merchant she met to lower the prices on anything she wanted to buy. Xena followed her every step of the way, not straying for even a second due to Gabrielle’s injuries. Rest had done her young companion well. Gabrielle seemed to be much more energetic than she had been since the incident, a sign that she was healing properly.

They walked the town’s square, sampling local delicacies and rode argo along the coastline. Gabrielle begged Xena to let her do some swimming, but the warrior would not relent. “Your bruises will become irritated from the salt-water Gabrielle.” After some debate, the bard gave up, knowing what Xena said was probably for the best. To make it up to her, Xena found one of the town’s public baths and they spent the evening there lounging and enjoying each other’s company.

A few days passed, and Xena felt a sense of serenity she hadn’t in years. Every night since the first one, Xena had been sleeping with Gabrielle in her arms. It was new to her, she was used to sleeping alone unless she had bedded the person laying with her, and even then, Xena wouldn’t cuddle them or stroke their hair. She never watched anyone sleep, not even Borias, and she could not bring herself to hum, let alone, sing to soothe a lover’s nightmares.

However, with Gabrielle she had done all those things. When the bard trembled against her and mumbled in her sleep, she had pressed her lips to her ear and sung her peacefully back to the land of Morpheus without any further disturbances. 

Xena’s sleep though, remained troubled.

Gabrielle’s death was still fresh in her mind, and every time she felt herself dozing, she would wake herself to make sure the bard was still breathing. Panic and paranoia had stolen the minimal sleep Xena used to have and it made her conclude that Gabrielle was her fatal flaw. 

The warrior didn’t know when it had all changed between them, but she knew that if she ever lost Gabrielle, she would most likely follow her wherever she went, even to hades, if need be. It was scary almost, this possessiveness that she had for the bard, and she realized that was not the only feeling she had towards Gabrielle.

Xena craved Gabrielle’s touch. She wanted to let her hands roam the bard’s soft body and feel her in away she hadn’t since the time they spent with the Amazons. Every night as they lay together, she would feel Gabrielle’s fingers trailing different parts of her skin. Her shoulders, her stomach, her back, her spine and every where the bard touched set Xena ablaze. The Gods would applaud her display of self-control in not having her way as she pleased with her young companion.

Xena did not know how much longer she would last.

-

On the fifth day, Xena had determined that Gabrielle’s injuries had healed enough that the bard could enjoy a day on the beach. After breakfast at the inn, Xena and Gabrielle, who was atop Argo, made their way to the coastline. Gabrielle was absolutely delighted and gave Xena an earful of her childhood experiences at the beach with her family.

They picked a spot to settle down and Xena set Argo off to find somewhere to graze. The warrior helped Gabrielle undress and then removed her own clothing and they headed into the warm water. Xena decided it was best to not swim to far from land in case they needed to retreat quickly if the bard fell ill. As time passed, Gabrielle showed no signs of discomfort or pain and she became very playful, splashing water at the warrior, who was watching her carefully.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish.” Warned Xena lowly, a smile playing at her lips.

Gabrielle slipped her arms underwater and gathered up as much strength as she could, “I always finish what I start.” She teased and drenched Xena in a huge splash.

“Ok, it’s on!” Xena shouted and they had the water battle of a century in the beautiful blue depths of sea.

Once they tired, Gabrielle floated on the waves with a content smile on her face. She lazily watched Xena swim in circles around her, drawing closer until she was face to face with her. The warrior’s hair was slicked back with the weight of the water and her skin glistened as the sun reflected on it. Their eyes locked in a heated moment that caused Gabrielle to close the distance between them and wrap her arms around Xena’s neck.

Xena sighed into her embrace, feeling Gabrielle’s wet, warm flesh against hers. The bard pulled back, looking intensely into the eyes of her companion and seeing passion reflecting at her, she made a simple request.

“Xena, please kiss me.”

“Gabrielle…”

“Please?”

The warrior needed no further incentive and leaned down to capture Gabrielle’s soft lips in a kiss that stole the bard’s breath away. She reciprocated instantly and before long they find themselves on the beach, Gabrielle straddling Xena’s waist and sliding her hands over soft skin laid over muscles forged by countless battles. They were still locked in a kiss with soft moans rising as their tongues battled for dominance. Gabrielle was wet against Xena’s stomach and the warrior fought against the need to throw the younger woman down and take her in the sand.

She would allow Gabrielle to set the pace for now, constantly aware of the bard’s limited state due to her injuries but there was but so much of this Xena could take.

“You’re so beautiful Xena.” Gabrielle said against her lips when they finally broke their kiss.

“So are you.”

Gabrielle blushed at the compliment and lay against the warrior, hiding her face in Xena’s neck.  
“Xena, I could stay here forever with you.” She said, her breath hot against the warrior’s flesh. “I love it here.”

Xena’s hands slid up and down the bard’s back and she chuckled lightly at her words. This was certainly one of the best ideas she had in a long time, and she was pleased by her decision to come to Volos, but there was another decision that she would have to make before their time in the port city ended, involving the gorgeous bard whose naked body covered her own.

They fell into comfortable silence, and Gabrielle slipped into a dreamless sleep. Xena lay beneath her with her eyes closed, trying to relax, but found herself troubled by her thoughts. She wanted the bard to stay with her but could not bear it if Gabrielle got hurt again, which was a guarantee due to her current lifestyle. She wanted to keep the bard safe, above anything else, even her own selfishness, and she was no longer confident in her ability to protect Gabrielle.

_Breathe!_

_Wake up!_

_Don’t leave me!_

_Don’t leave me!_

Xena opened her eyes to the setting sun, focusing on the boats leaving the port in the distance, and the sounds of the sea. 

It still wasn’t enough to drown the unsettling thoughts in her mind.

_

They headed back to the tavern for dinner, each drinking wine with their meals. Gabrielle liked the wine for its sweeter taste and ordered more than she could handle. “Gabrielle, you may want to slow down, Ive never seen you drink that much wine before.” Xena said worriedly.

The bard giggled and patted Xena on her hand, “Don’t worry Xena, it’s not that strong,” She said slurring her words a little. 

Xena shook her head, knowing the effect the wine would have on her companion when she stood. The warrior had also learned the hard lessons of being intoxicated when she was younger. Now, she knew her limits but was aware her stubborn bard would not heed her advice and so she watched Gabrielle drink more wine and mumble incoherently. The bard’s face was flushed from the alcohol and her green eyes shown brightly as she stared at the warrior. “Xena, I want to go to bed with you.”

These were words Xena had been waiting to hear, but she knew once she got Gabrielle back up to their room, the girl would be asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Which was exactly what happened.

After Gabrielle told Xena that her dreams were often of them making love in the forests and had grown more explicit since Xena had taken her during their stay with the Amazons, the bard decided she wanted to dance. She hopped up on the table they had been eating at and began to dance to the music some of the local musicians had been playing in the tavern. Once her restless energy had been drained, she collapsed in the arms of Xena, who simply carried her back to their room and deposited her on the nearest bed. 

Gabrielle was in a deep sleep and Xena found herself watching her intensely. Her eyes traveled the entire length of the bard’s body and stopped again on her fading bruises. Once more, rage welled up inside her, towards herself, towards that damned city, waring for no reason. She felt anger at the gods for allowing the chaos to happen in the first place and before she knew it, her mind became a whirlwind of madness. A cyclone of guilt, anxiety and sorrow tore through her soul and Xena had to get out of there, unable to continue looking at the victim of her poor decisions and at the mirror of her own failures.

-

Xena walked along the tideline of the beach, watching as waves crashed and rescinded. She tried to lose herself in the calming sounds of the ocean but her inner turmoil proved to be too much for her peaceful surrounding. Something had changed within her and she didn’t know whether it was good or bad. Xena thought of Gabrielle constantly, from the moment she woke to when she closed her eyes and lately, not even Morpheus could keep Gabrielle out of her mind. When Xena did sleep, her dreams were either torturous memories of the bard not breathing in her arms or were of her harming anyone or anything threatening to take Gabrielle from her.

Other times, they were purely carnal. 

However, Xena had made the decision months ago, that if she and Gabrielle decided to have sex again, it would be because they wanted to. Not because some God, who hadn’t even bothered to save Gabrielle when she was fatally wounded, required the taking of her innocence. She wanted Gabrielle to come to her on her own accord, and since then, the bard had been slowly indicating that she might want to take things to a more intimate level. Xena never pushed, but always encouraged her companion’s curiosity, and indulged Gabrielle’s desire to be kissed, no matter the situation.

Even, if it pained her emotionally to do so.

The times Gabrielle had left her in pursuit of her own personal needs had left Xena feeling empty. She knew the bard was young and at such a tender age, was trying to find herself. Each time Gabrielle had left her, she tried to fill the void left over from Gabrielle’s absence. Xena had found herself in taverns and brothels, willing any distraction from the thought of the bard, to come to her, but never being able forget her soft, soothing presence.

When Gabrielle came back to her, Xena welcomed her but was always distant. The bard’s way of getting Xena’s attention was demanding a kiss, like what she had done earlier when they were in the water, knowing that as always, Xena would relent. The amount of kissing they had done through the past few months had always left Xena wanting more, yearning for Gabrielle to say the words she said so openly in the tavern.

“Xena, I want to go to bed with you.”

The warrior bit her lip absent mindedly and continued walking along the coast, wondering if the bard knew what she meant to her. Xena felt she was becoming borderline obsessive over Gabrielle and considered it being a good idea to send the girl home before things got worse. They had one more day to spend in Volos before Xena would tell Gabrielle of her plan, and she knew, Gabrielle’s anger would rival that of the furies, once Xena revealed her thoughts to her.

-

Gabrielle woke up to the sounds of waves crashing in the distance. She turned on her side to find Xena standing in her brown shift, gazing out of the window. The moonlight illuminated the warrior’s delicate features casting a luminescent glow across her skin, giving her an ethereal appearance, as if she had just descended from Mount Olympus.

The bard thought to herself that if Xena were a goddess, she would willingly worship her.

Xena’s sharp senses alerted her that she was being watched. She glanced over at Gabrielle and their eyes met for a moment before the younger woman looked away, blushing slightly. The bard slowly stood, the alcohol in her caused her to feel slightly off balance, but she was determined, to make her way to Xena.

The warrior watched her cautiously as Gabrielle cleared the distance between them within a few seconds and stood directly in front of Xena. The older woman diverted her eyes to the moon, which was full and majestic in the night sky. She knew that the bard was detecting Xena’s discomfort and was trying to assess whether she was the cause of it.

Xena’s eyes remained firmly locked on the splendor of the moon until a small hand caressed the side of her face and brought her attention to a very perceptive young bard.

“Xena, what’s wrong?” She asked shyly, “Is it me?”  
Her eyes seemed to be searching the depths of Xena’s soul with their intensity and the warrior held her gaze, daring not to look away from the beautiful creature before her. 

“Gabrielle, I-I want to send you home.” Xena said shakily, taking a deep breath as she attempted to explain her reason but was cut off by a infuriated strawberry blonde.

“No!” Gabrielle shouted defiantly.

“Gabri- “

“I said no, Xena! You are not sending me anywhere! I’m not leaving you!”

Xena’s heart sank at her words and she closed her eyes against the onslaught of emotion racking through her. “You don’t understand Gabrielle, you must go, I can’t protect you.”

“Xena.”

“You died! You died and I was powerless to stop it from happening!” Xena grabbed Gabrielle’s shoulders and tried to shake some reason into her, “I had to stand by and watch you take your last breath. Then, be told by people who didn’t know you that I needed to let you go. I couldn’t Gabrielle- “

The bard shook her head furiously. “No, Xena. It’s you who doesn’t understand. I am not leaving you. There is no one else I’d rather be with, and no other place I want to be than by your side. Do you know why Xena?”

Xena stared silently at the bard as Gabrielle took her strong sword calloused hand and placed it over her heart. The warrior shuddered as she felt the beating of it against her palm, and kept her watery gaze locked on Gabrielle.

“It’s because I love you.” Gabrielle said openly and unashamed. “I’ve loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you and it has only grown with the time we have spent together and everything we’ve shared. I love you Xena and nothing will change that or keep me away from it, not even you.”

Xena could not stop the raw emotion she felt at Gabrielle’s confession. Tears streamed down her face in rivulets filled with guilt and apprehension, she began to tremble with the weight of it all. Gabrielle brushed her tears away with her thumbs and cupped her friend’s cheeks once more. “I can’t lose you again Gabrielle. I was damn near ready to find a way to the Elysian fields to bring you back. You don’t know what you’ve done to me.” Xena whispered painfully, gazing into Gabrielle’s eyes desperately needing her to understand what she was trying to say. 

She hoped it was enough because words were failing her now.

“Xena…” Gabrielle wrapped her arms around Xena’s neck and pulled her down into a kiss that was warm and salty with the warrior’s tears. She kissed Xena until she felt her tongue press against her lips and parted them to allow entry. Their tongues danced against each other passionately, and the bard felt Xena clutch at her hips and press a muscled thigh between her legs.

Gabrielle groaned at the contact, and Xena lifted her easily, wrapping the younger woman’s legs tightly around her waist. Their lips met again with Gabrielle’s hands tangling in Xena’s hair as she felt her breeches being yanked to the side and the warrior’s fingers gliding along her slick flesh before sinking deeply and maddeningly inside of her.

“Oh, Gabrielle…” Xena panted as she pumped her fingers in and out of her young companion. Gabrielle’s soft, sweet moans filled her ears as she took her, unable to do anything but yield to the love her bard was offering her. Xena plunged her fingers deeper inside Gabrielle’s tight, wet canal and pressed her thumb against the bundle of nerves that ached for her touch. She moaned into Gabrielle’s mouth as they kissed again and curled her fingers within her to rub at the velvety texture of the bard’s core.

Gabrielle began trembling and cried out her pleasure as she came on Xena’s steadily thrusting fingers. Xena forced her to ride out her orgasm before ripping off Gabrielle’s breeches entirely and tearing the night gown from her body. She pressed the younger woman against a wall and paid attention to Gabrielle’s neglected breasts and nipples. Xena licked and sucked at them, groaning at the feel of the bard’s orgasms ripping through her and moans of pure ecstasy from Xena’s ministrations.

“Gods, Xena, don’t stop, please…I’m coming again, Xena!”

She didn’t stop.

In fact, Xena made love to Gabrielle in every way she had ever fantasized about. Taking the bard against the wall, door and when her own strength began to dwindle, the floor. Somehow, they made it to the bed, and it was there that Gabrielle reciprocated the pleasure Xena had unleashed on her for the past few hours.

Xena allowed Gabrielle to climb on top of her and touch every place she desired, be it with her mouth or fingers. She completely surrendered to the bard in a way she had never done with any other lover and their bodies joined to become one as their souls had done countless times throughout the ages.

-

The warrior woke to the rays of Apollo lighting the room and reflecting in the emerald eyes of her lover as she watched Xena wake. Gabrielle smiled at the sight before her, Xena looked completely ravished, satisfied and relaxed, a combination she had never seen on her companion. The older woman gazed lovingly at the bard and wrapped her arms around her, tightly pressing their bodies together.

“Gabrielle…” Xena whispered against Gabrielle’s ear.

“Yes Xena?”

“I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Visit me on [Tumblr](https://sazernac.tumblr.com/)


End file.
